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COaJTENTS 






PAGE. 


Bachelor's Kiichen, .... 


26 


Bags, 


■ II 


Bean Bags, 


14 


Beast, Bird, or Fish, 


. 19 


Blind Man's Buff, .... 


13 


Blind Man's Buff Seated, 


. 14 


Blind Postman, 


22 


Bloody Tom, 


. 18 


Blowing the Feather, 


3 


Bookbinder, ..... 


. 15 


Buff, 


14 


Butterfly and the Flower, . 


. 30 


Button, Button, Who's Got the Button 


, . 10 


Buz, 


. 26 


Cat and the Mouse, .... 


6 


Catch, A,~ 


. . 14 


Change Seats, ..... 


22 


Character 


. II 


Charlie Over the Water, 


4 


Clap 1 Clap ! 


• 5 


Club Fist, 


2 


Colors, ...... 


. 26 


Cc ''NHAGEN, ..... 


28 


Uli-N, . . . . 


. 10 


Di.xiES Land, 


12 


Drop the Handkerchief, 


• ■ 15 


Enchanted Princess, .... 


23 


Europe, Asia, and Africa, 


. 21 


F'armer, The, ..... 


29 


Farm-yard, My, . ... 


. 10 


Find the Ring 


16 


Fisherman, The, .... 


. 20 


Five Geese in a Flock, 


10 


Fly Away Jack, .... 


■ 3 


Fox and Geese, 


30 


French Buff, ..... 


• 14 


Frog in the Sea, .... 


4 


Going to Jerusalem, 


. 22 


Grand Mufti, 


16 


Gypsy, 


. 19 


Hands, 


25 


Hare and Hounds, 


. 18 


Hawk and Chickens, .... 


17 


He Can Do Little Who Can't Do Thi 


3, . 24 


Here I Bake, Here I Brew, 


9 


Hide and Go Seek, .... 


• 3 


Hiss and Clap, ..... 


I 


Hold Fast and Let Go, 


■ 4 


Honey-Pots, ..... 


6 


Hot Buttered Blue Beans, 


■ 3 


Huckle-Gee Bread, Humpty Dumpty or 


7 


Hul Gul, 


23 


Humpty Dumpty, .... 


■ 7 


Huntsman, The, .... 


21 



Hunt the Fox, 

Hunt the Slipper, 

Hunt the Squirrel, 

Hunt the Whistle, . 

I Apprenticed My Son, 

Intery Mintery, 

I Spy, 

Jacky Lingo, 

King and Queen, 

Mother May 1 Go Pick a Rose, 

Mother Tipsy Toe, 

Musical Chair, . 

My Farm-Yard, 

My Lady's Toilet, 

Odd or Even, . 

Old Mother Tipsy Toe, 

Open the Gates, 

Pease Porridge Hot, . 

Pointer's Buff, 

Pork Butcher, 

Prisoners' Base, 

Puss in the Corner, . 

Queen and Her Attendants, 

Queen Anne, 

Railroad Game, 

Ring a Ring a Rosie, 

Robins Fly, 

Ruth and Jacob, 

Sail the Ship, 

Schoolmaster, 

Sea and Her Children, . 

Shadow Buff, 

Shadow Pictures, 

Shepherdess and the Wolf, 

Simon Says, 

Soap Bubbles, 

Spanish Merchant, . 

Spoons, 

Stage Coach, . 

Still Palm, 

Tag, 

Take Care, 

Threading JNIy Grandmother's Needle, 

Throwing the Handkerchief, 

Thus Says the Grand AJufti, 

Twelve O'clock at Night, 

Twine the Garland, Girls, 

Twirl the Platter, . 

Warning, 

Whirlwind, 

Wolf and the Doe, 

Yankee Doodle, ■ 

Yes and No, . 



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25 
14 
27 

31 
2 

II 
2 

II 
4 

18 

20 

4 
27 
27 
13 
32 
23 
16 

24 

27 
18 
22 
14 

5 
2 

9 
15 
16 

7 
7 
15 
31 
28 
28 
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23 



?5 




PLAYS -AND GAMES _ 
/OK LITTLE FOLKS. 



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YANKEE DOODLE. 

Two of the players stand holding up 
their hands so as to form a bridge for the 
rest to pass under, one by one. All sing : 

" Yankee Doodle came to town 
Riding on a pony, 
Stuck a feather in his cap 
And called him macaroni ! 
Yankee Doodle, ha ! ha! ha! 
Yankee Doodle Dandy ! 
Yankee Doodle, doodle do ! 
Now we have you handy ! " 

At the last word the bridge holders bring 
their arms down on the shoulders of the 
one who happens to be passing at that 
time, and keep him a prisoner. The cap- 
tive is then asked whether he will be Eng- 
lish or American, and according to his 
decision he is placed behind the English- 
man or American. Thus the game pro- 
ceeds until all have, one by one, been 
caught, and have chosen the country they 
will fight for. Then comes the tug of war, 
and that side wins which succeeds in pulling 
the other out of its position. 



HISS AND CLAP. 
In this game the boys are all re- 
quested to leave the room, when the girls 
take their seats, leaving a vacant place 
on the right side of every one for the 
partner of their choice. Each boy, in 
turn, is then called in and asked to guess 
-which girl has chosen him to sit beside 



her. Should he guess rightly he is allowed 
to keep his seat by the one who has 
chosen him, while the company loudly clap 
hands ; but should he guess wrongly he 
will be only too glad to leave the scene, 
so loud will be the hisses of his friends. 



MUSICAL CHAIR. 
It is no use attempting to play this game 
in anything but a good-sized room ; and, 
if possible, chairs that may be easily moved 
and not soon broken should be chosen. 
Supposing there are fifteen players, four- 
teen chairs must be placed in the middle 
of the room, every alternate one having 
the seat the same way, and upon these 
the players must seat themselves. One 
person, therefore, is left standing. The 
music then begins, when the owners of the 
seats all march round until the music stops, 
which it is generally made to do unexpect- 
edly ; at this instant each person tries to 
secure a chair. Necessarily one player is 
left without a seat ; he is considered out, 
and, in addition, he must pay a forfeit. 
One of the chairs is then taken away, 
and the game proceeds, a chair being re- 
moved every time the music stops. One 
unfortunate person is always left out in the 
cold, until at last one chair is struggled for 
by the two remaining players, and the suc- 
cessful one of these is considered to have 
earned the right to pronounce judgment on 
such as have had to pay forfeits. 



|Pb\Y5-M^iD G^M^E3 ^^^ LITTLE FoLRS^ 



QUEEN ANNE. 

A ball is hidden with one of the children, 
who says to one in the centre : 

" Queen Anne, Queen Anne, you sit in the sun, 
As fair as a lily, as brown as a bun, 
I send you three letters and pray you read 
one." 

To which she answers : 

" I cannot read one, unless I read all, 

So pray Miss deliver the ball." 

This is repeated until she guesses right. 



TAKE CARE. 

A flower-pot is filled with sand or earth; 
a little stick with a flag is placed in it. 
Every child playing has to remove a little 
sand from the pot with a stick, without up- 
setting the flag, crying at the same time. 
" Take care ! " The one who upsets the 
flag pays a forfeit. 

It beconies an anxious matter when the 
sand has been removed several times. 



CLUB FIST. 

A child lays his hand closed on the table, 
with thumb up. Another grasps the thumb, 
and so on until all the players are in the 
game. The following dialogue takes place : 

" What's that?" 

" An apple ? " 

" Take it off or I'll knock it off; " 
And so on until there is only one left. 

Then : 

" What have you there ? " 

" Bread and cheese." 

" Where's my share ? " 



" The cat's got it." 

" Where's the cat?" 

"In the woods." 

" Where's the woods ? " 

" Fire burned it." 

" Where's the fire ? " 

" Water quenched it." 

" Where's the water? " 

" Ox drank it." 

" Where's the ox ? " 

" Butcher killed it." 

" Where's the butcher ? " 

" Rope hung him." 

" Where's the rope ? " 

" Rat gnawed it." 

" Where's the rat?" " Cat caught it." 
"Where's the cat?" "Behind the door 
cracking nuts, and the first one that speaks 
will have a rousing box on the ear." 



PUSS IN THE CORNER. 

A little girl is placed at each corner of 
the lawn, or in the four corners of the room, 
if the game is played in the house. One 
player stands in the middle. She beckons 
to each kitten in the corner in turn, and 
says, " Puss, puss, puss," and tries to coax- 
one of them out. In the meantime, while 
they are talking, the other kittens are 
beckoning to each other to change places, 
and, suddenly, run rapidly across to each 
other's corner. The cat in the middle must 
be on the watch to get into one of these 
places herself If she can gain it before 
the kitten who is exchano-ing corners, she 
remains in it, and the disappointed player 
has to be " cat " instead. 




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Pb\Y5-M^D GAMES ^^^ LITTLE FoLRS 



I SPY! 

This game is usually played out of doors, 
because more convenient hiding-places are 
to be found there. All the company hide 
except one, who closes his eyes until he 
hears them call " Whoop ! " He then opens 
his eyes and begins to search for his play- 
mates. If he catches a glimpse of any one, 
and knows who it is, he calls them by name. 
"I spy Harry!" or " I spy Jack!" The 
one who is thus discovered must start and 
run for the place where the other hid his 
eyes. If he does not reach the spot with- 
out being touched by his pursuer, he must 
take his place. 



HIDE AND GO SEEK. 
One goes out of the room, while the 
others hide a thimble, handkerchief, or some- 
thing of that sort. When they are ready 
they call " whoop ! " and she enters. If she 
moves toward the place they cry " you 
burn!" " Now you burn more!" If she 
goes very near they say, " O you are al- 
most blazing ! " If she moves from the 
object, they say, " How cold she grows ! " 
If the article is found the one who hid it 
must take the next turn to seek it. 



HOT BUTTERED BLUE BEANS. 
Sometimes the game of hide and seek 
is given this name, and the one outside is 
called in thus : 

" Hot buttered blue beans. 
Please to come to supper ! " 

and are "hot" or "cold" according as 
they go near or move off from the object 
that is hidden. 



FLY AWAY JACK. 

A morsel of wet paper is put upon the 
nails of your two middle fingers. You rest 
these two fingers only, side by side, on the 
edge of a table, naming one Jack and the 
other Jill. You raise one suddenly, ex- 
claiming, " Fly away. Jack ! " When you 
bring the hand down again hide your 
middle finger and place your fore-finger 
on the table. Then raise the other, say- 
ing, "Fly away, Jill!" and bring down 
your fore-finger instead of your middle one. 
Then the papers have disappeared, and if 
you do it quickly your companions will 
think the birds have flown. Then raise 
your hand and cry, " Come again, Jack ! " 
and bring the middle finger down, and the 
paper is again seen. Then bid Jill come 
again in the same manner. 



BLOWING THE FEATHER. 

A round of merry little ones take a 
feather and toss it into the air, keeping it 
up by their breath. Each child hastens to 
blow it to her neighbor, lest it should fall 
on her dress or on the ground at her side, 
when she would be obliged to pay a forfeit. 

They must not blow it too violently, or 
it will fly so high that it will be difficult to 
reach ; neither must they send it outside the 
circle, or it will be almost impossible to get 
it back again. It is great fun for children 
to keep their light downy playfellow afloat. 
They dance round, of course, very fre- 
quently in pursuit of it, but they must not 
let go each other's hands or break the circle 
to catch it in its descent. 




PLAY5^NP GAMES p"-^ LITTLE FoLKS 



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RING A RING A ROSIE. 

Children go round, singing, 

Ring a ring a rosie, 
Pocket full of posie, 
All the girls in our town, 
Cry for little Josie. 

At the last word all squat down. The one 
who is down the last is out of the game. 



HOLD FAST! AND LET GO! 

Four little girls, each hold the corner of 
a handkerchief. One standing by says, 
" Hold fast! " and then they must all drop 
the corners they are holding. When he 
says, " Let go ! " they must be sure and 
keep hold. Those who fail to do this must 
pay a forfeit. 




CHARLIE OVER THE WATER. 
Children clasp hands and dance about 
one who stands in the centre of the ring, 
Charlie over the water, 
Charlie over the sea, 
Charlie caught a black fish, 
But can't catch me. 

At the last word all squat, and if the child 
in the centre can catch one of the others 
before going down, that one takes his 
place. 

4 



FROG IN THE SEA. 

Frog in the sea 
Can't catch mc 1 

Played the same as Charlie over the water. 



SAIL THE SHIR 

Two little girls clinch fingers, brace their 
feet tightly against each other, and whirl 
rapidly around, A tight grip is all that 
saves the ship. Don't let go too suddenly. 




PL/y5^'^° GAMES p""^ LITTLE FoLKS 










TAG. 

All those who intend playing the game 
stand in a row, while one of their number 
counts them out to find who is to be " it." 
A good counting out rhyme is — 

Intery, mintery, cutery, corn, 
Apple seed and apple thorn, 
Wire, brier, limber lock, 
Twelve geese in a flock. 
Sit and sing by the spring, 
0-u-t and in again. 

Another one is — 

Ana, mana, mona, Mike, 
Barcelona, bona, strike. 
Hare, ware, frown, wack, 
Halico, balico, wee, wo, whack! 

And still another, and the one most com- 
monly used — 

Apples and oranges two for a penny. 

It takes a good scholar to count so many, 

0-u-t — out goes she ! 



The one on whom the last word falls is 
" IT," and at once gives chase to the others. 
The one tagged, or touched, before the 
goal is reached takes his place, and the 
game is generally kept up until all have 
been " it." 



CLAP ! CLAP ! 
There are two ways of playing this game. 
In one the child hides his head in another's 
lap, who says : 

" Mingledy, mingledy, clap ! clap ! 
How many fingers do I hold up?" 

The child possibly answers "Two." Then 
the other says : 

" Two you said and three it was, 
Mingledy, mingledy, clap! clap ! 
How many fingers do I hold up .? " 
When more than two are playing, the 
leader hides his hand out of sight. 

The others guess one, two, three, or five, 



as they think most likely to be right ; but 
it is very rarely that the guess proves cor- 
rect. If not, the guesser pays a forfeit, and 
the player (changing the number of her 
fingers) begins again. When a little girl 
guesses rightly, it becomes her turn to play, 
and the former player pays a forfeit. 



MY LADY'S TOILET. 

The players are all seated, except one, 
for whom no chair must be provided. 

Each player tekes the name of some 
article of a lady's toilet — her necklace, her 
chain, her gloves, her bracelets, her rings, 
her comb, &c. 

The one standing acts as Lady's-maid, 
and says, " My lady is going out, and wants 
her chain." 

The Chain must instantly jump up and 
spin round ; if she forgets to do so, she 
pays a forfeit. 

Each article must spin round when 
wanted. Occasionally the player in the 
center says, "My lady wants her toilet 
changed," when all the jewels, &c., must 
rise and change seats ; in the scuffle for 
them, the center player tries to get a seat. 
The one who is left chairless when the 
others are all seated, pays a forfeit, and 
becomes lady's-maid in her turn. 



THE OLD GAME OF HONEY-POTS. 
One of the players must be selected to 
act the part of a Honey Merchant, another 
to come as a Purchaser to the honey stores. 
These two should be the tallest and strone- 
est of the party. Indeed, the game can only 



be well played when two elder brothers, or 
an elder brother and sister, or papa and 
mamma take part. The little folks squat 
down with their hands clasped under them. 
The Merchant praises his honey, and he 
and the Purchaser take up each honey- 
pot by the arms and swing it back and 
forth, saying " Who wants to buy a honey- 
pot?" If the honey-pot lets go it is pro- 
nounced poor honey, and the Purchaser 
does not buy it. Those that hold fast are 
carried off and set down at a distance from 
the rest, and the game is kept up until the 
little ones grow tired. 



THE CAT AND THE MOUSE. 

All the children join hands, except the 
one inside the ring, who is called the mouse, 
and the one outside, who is called the cat. 
They begin the game by going around 
rapidly, and raising their arms ; the Cat 
springs in at one side, and the mouse jumps 
out at the other ; they then suddenly lower 
their arms so that the Cat cannot escape. 
The Cat goes around, crying, " Mew ! 
mew ! " and as the circle are obliged to 
keep dancing round all the time, she is 
pretty sure to find a weak place to break 
through. As soon as she gets out she chases 
the Mouse, who tries to save herself by get- 
ting into the ring again. If she gets in 
without being followed by the Cat, the Cat 
must pay a forfeit; but if the Mouse is 
caught she must pay a forfeit. Then they 
name those who are to take their places, 
and they fall into the circle, and the game 
goes on. 




PL^3^^p GAMES p"-^ LITTLE FoLKS 



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HUMPTY DUMPTY; 

OR, HUCKLE-GEE BREAD. 

This is a game for little girls only. The 
players sit in a circle, or a line if they 
choose, and each girl gathers her skirts 
around so as to cover her feet which must 
be crossed. Grasping her foot and part of 
her dress firmly in each hand, the leader 
begins the rhyme, which all repeat with 
her : 

" My mother is sick, and almost dead. 
She sent me to make her some Huckle- 

gee Bread ; 
So I up with my heels as high as my 

head, 
And that is the way to make Huckle- 
gee Bread." 
At the third line all the players go over 
backward, and the impetus thus given sends 
them forward again, like a Humpty Dumpty. 
They can rock back and forth four times 
while repeating the last two lines of the 
rhyme, and this must be done without let- 
ting go of the skirt, or making any use of 
the feet. 



TWINE THE GARLAND, GIRLS ! 

This is a simple kind of a dance. A line 
of girls take hold of each other's hands. 
One stands perfectly still while the others 
dance round her, winding and stopping — 
winding and stopping — until they are all 
formed in a knot. Then they gradually 
untwist in the same m?nner. As they form 
the knot they sing, 

" Twine the garland, girls ! 
Twine the garland, girls 1 
and when they unwind, they sing, 
" Untwine the garland, girls ! " 



TWELVE O'CLOCK AT NIGHT. 

One of the playfellows is -chosen to be 
the Fox. She hides in the most shady 
corner she can find. Another is selected 
to be Hen. The rest of the children are 
her chickens. They form a string behind 
her, holding each other by the waist. The 
hen walks thus with them up to the fox's 
den, and says : 

"If you please, Mr. Fox, could you tell 
me what o'clock it is? " 

If he says one, or ^wo, or three, Sec, she 
may go away in safety, and return again 
with the same question ; but the moment 
he says " Twelve o'clock at night" she and 
her chicks must take flight, for he intends 
to seize one of the^i. A good deal of 
merry running then begins ; the chicken 
caught is obliged to take the place of fox, 
and pay a forfeit. 

But I must not forget to state that a spot 
is fixed on, to be called the farm-yard, on 
reachinpf which the chickens are safe, and 
the fox has to return alone to his den, where 
he must remain till he gets another oppor- 
tunity of catching a chicken. 

The fun of the game is the uncertainty 
of when the fox will dart out. A good fox 
delays doing so till the fear of his pursuit 
begins to grow less, and then, the moment 
he says " Twelve o'clock at night" he 
rushes out. 

As he says "twelve o'clock" [noon) with- 
out intending to seize a chicken, the hen is 
always in dreadful doubt of which twelve is 
coming. The chicks must keep close to 
the old hen. 



MOTHER, MAY I GO PICK A ROSE? 

Mother and children :— 

" Mother, may I go pick a rose ? " 
" Yes, my dear, if you don't tear your 
clothes ; 
But remember to-morrow is your 
sister's wedding day. 
So make a fine curtsey, and walk 
away." 



The same answer is gfiven to all the 
threats made by the mother, who finally 
chases her naughty children. The one 
caught takes the mother's place. 



INTERY MINTERY. 
The players all place the fore-fingers of 
their right hands, side by side, on the knee 
of the one who is to begin the game. This 



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Children curtsey and run off. When at 
a safe distance they sing : 
'' I picked a rose, 

And tore my clothes ! 

I picked a rose. 

And tore my clothes ! " 
" Children, come home." 
" Mother, I don't hear you." 
" I'll send your father after you." 
" I don't hear you." 
" I'll give you a good beating." 
" I don't hear you." 



one touches each finger by turns, saying : 

" Intery, mintery, cutery-corn, 
Apple-seed, and apple-thorn ; 
Wire, brier, limber, lock, 
Five geese in a flock. 
Sit and sing by the spring, 
0-u-t and in again." 

The finger on which the last syllable 
falls must be quickly withdrawn, or it Avill 
be sharply rapped by the hand of the leader. 
If struck, the owner must pay a forfeit. 




PL-Ay3^^'> CAME5 ""-^ LITTLE PoLKS 



<B»S aar®@.>ra(gAi><5>S©A§)(§>igtg>^g)(§A®®Aa's>VS>©A9(§^igKS>V®®^V®®^ 




THREADING MY GRANDMOTHER'S 
NEEDLE. 

A VERY OLD GAME. 

The players take hands in a long line. 
The children on the right hand sing or 
chant : 

" Grandmother's eyes are grown so dim, 
Her needle she can't fill." 

The two at the extreme end of the line 
chant in reply : 

" Our eyes are very bright and good ; 
Thread it for her we will." 

Then the first singers raise their arms 
very high, and the last singers dart under 
them, the whole line twisting through till 
the first players are at the bottom of the 
line. Those who were originally at the 
end of it then raise their arms, and recom- 
mence the rhyme, and the players who 
beean the songr thread the needle in their 
turn. 



This is the same 
tailor's needle." 



as " Threading the 



HERE I BAKE, HERE I BREW. 

The players form a circle by joining 
hands, and shut one of their number into 
the middle of it. The captive touches one 
pair of joined hands, and says, " Here I 
bake ; " then passing on to two others, 
(generally on the opposite side of the: 
circle) she says, " Here I brew." when 
she touches two others, saying, " Here I 
make my wedding cake." Then suddenly 
she springs on two of the clasped hands- 
which appear least to expect her, and 
saying, " Here I mean to break through ! " 
breaks through the circle, if she can. But 
her effort is strongly resisted by the play- 
ers, who keep her prisoner as long as they 
possibly can. This game is usually played 
without forfeits. 








uj i ^_ u '••Jll. 









Pb\Y3^^'t> GAMES ^^^ LITTLE FoLRS 



MY FARM-YARD. 
Names of animals are given to the chil- 
dren. One in the center of the ring sings 
the words, and at the proper time imitates 
the cry of the animal she represents. 
" I had a little rooster, and my rooster 
pleased me, 
I fed my rooster beneath that tree ; 
My rooster went [here the rooster 

crows], 
Other folks feed their rooster, I feed 
my rooster too. 

" I had a little lamb, and my lamb 

pleased me, 
I fed my lamb beneath that tree ; 
My lamb went [here the lamb cries 

out], 
Other folks feed their lamb, I feed 

my lamb too. 

And so on with the names of the other 
beasts. At each verse the animal who has 
previously figured joins in, and the game 
becomes quite noisy. 



FIVE GEESE IN A FLOCK. 

The children sit on the grass, or on a 
bank or bench, side by side. One stands 
as Market Woman opposite the row of 
players. 

She walks along the row and touches 
each child, beginning wherever she pleases, 
and saying one word of the following 
rhyme to each, as she touches her — 
" Please — good — farmer — cut — the — corn, 

Keep — the — wheat — and — burn — the — thorn. 

Shut — your — gate — and — turn — the — lock. 

Keep — the — five — geese — in — a — flock."' 

As soon as she says the word " flock," 
the one Jirsl touched jumps up and runs 



away. The market woman pursues her. 
But while she is catching her, the other 
geese have fled, and she has to catch each 
player and re-seat her in her place, before 
the game can begin again. The one first 
caught becomes in her turn market woman. 

DEN. 
This is an out-of-doors game. Each boy 
takes the name of a wild beast and has a 
tree to himself, which represents his den. 
Any player who leaves his den is liable to 
be tagged by the next one out. The best 
runner generally starts out first, a second 
one pursues him, and so on until all may 
be out at once. If a player can tag any 
one he has a right to capture, he takes him 
home to his own den, and the latter must 
help him to take the rest. The pursuer 
cannot be tagged while bringing home a 
prisoner. 

BUTTON, BUTTON, WHO'S GOT 
THE BUTTON. 

The children sit in a row with hands 
folded. One takes a button, and holding 
it between both hands pretends to give it 
to each one of the players who open their 
hands as if to receive it. 

As she does this, the leader says to each 
one, " Keep all I give you." When she 
has finished she puts the question to each 
in turn, "Button, button, who's got the 
button ? " The answer is, " Next door 
neighbor." When she returns to the head 
of the line and asks " Who's got the but- 
ton ? " the player mentions the name of the 
one she thinks has it. The successful 
guesser take's the leaders place. 




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THE RAILROAD GAME. 

The players take the following names, 
and whenever in the course of the 
story (which is read or invented at the 
moment) their several names are uttered, 
they must do whatever they have been 
told to do, or otherwise pay a forfeit. 

Railroad. — Must rise and turn round once. 

Rails. — When named must rise and extend two 
arms straight before him. 

Parlor Car. — Must rise and make a graceful bow. 

Drawing-room Coach. — Must rise and turn round, 

1ST Passenger Car. — Must sit down on the carpet, 
and rise without touching anything. 

Newsboy. — Must call out "Here's the Times, 
Herald, World, and Tribune^ 

The Engine. — Must rise, and, if a boy, whistle ; 
if a girl, run round the circle without touching any 
cne. 

The Conductor. — Must rise and call out the name 
of a real station. 

The Station. — Must sit still and do nothing. 

Train. — Must get up and turn round three times. 

Buffers and Sleepers. — Must shut their eyes. 

Station Masters and Porters. — Rise and make 
bows. 

Passengers. — Must rise and turn round three 
times. 

Telegraph Wire, Tunnel, &c. — The same. 

Wheels — Rise and turn round. 

As the story usually ends with a col- 
lision, when everything is pretty well 
mixed up, the players have a lively time 
performing their several duties. 



CHARACTER. 

One goes out and some person of history 

or fiction is chosen. On his return he is 

addressed as if he were the supposed 

character. A century is sometimes as- 



signed. 



11 



THE QUEEN AND HER ATTEND- 
ANTS. 
The players are numbered and seated in 
two rows facing each other. The Queen 
at the head calls any number. " It is time 

for to start." At which that person 

starts. " Bring him to me." The second 
one then starts and tries to catch the first. 
They must run down between the two rows, 
then around the whole, and back up the 
center to the Queen. If caught, he must 
stand behind the Queen's chair. If not, 
number two must take the place. When 
all are caught, they follow the Queen around 
the chairs (the Queen's not being used), 
and when she claps her hands all rush for 
a seat. 



BAGS. 
Bags is a capital game for cold weather. 
The game is played with four cotton bags 
half filled with white beans, the bags being 
tied at the mouth. These bags are taken 
up by two players, two bags each, one in 
each hand. Player No. i throws the bag in 
his right hand to Player No. 2, transfers the 
bag in his left hand to his right, catches 
the bag sent by No. 2 in his left hand, 
throws to number 2 the bag in his right, 
transfers the bag in his left to his right, 
and so on. Player No. 2 does just the 
same as No. i. Indeed, each player should 
consider himself to be No. i, and his com- 
panion No. 2. The object of the game is 
to keep the bags going without falling as 
long as possible, a difficult task at first, but 
which with practice becomes comparatively 
easy. 




PL^5^^P 6AME5 p"*^ LITTLE FoLKS 



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OLD MOTHER TIPSY-TOE. 

The children sit in a row. The one chosen 
as mother comes up and scolds each one in 
turn for being naughty or idle, gives them 
some task to do, slaps them on the shoulder, 
and then goes off, saying, " Now don't you 
follow me." 

As soon as her back is turned the chil- 
dren all jump up and run after her, shout- 
ing : 

" Old mother Tipsy-toe, 
I don't care whether I work or no !" 

The mother chases them back to their 
seats, and says to each child in turn, " Let 
me see how well you've mended your 
dress." 

The children all hold the hem of their 
dresses as firmly as they can, with their 
hands somewhat apart. The mother strikes 



with her hand the part of the dress be-, 
tween their hands, and if they let it go, 
she scolds and beats them for their poor 
mending. 



DIXIE'S LAND. 



A familiar game to New York children 
is " Dixie's Land," which is played in the 
same way as "Tom Tidler's Ground." 

The children approach the line marked 
out, and challenge the player standing, 
there : 

" I'm on Dixie's land ; 
Dixie's not at home." 

The defender of Dixie's land tries to- 
seize the intruder, and those caught have. 
to help him seize the rest. 






12 



PL-?^5^^P GAMES p"-^ LITTLE FoLKS 






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BLIND-MAN'S BUFF. 

One of the players is blindfolded and 
led to the center of the room, taken by the 
shoulders and turned around three times, 
and then told to catch whom he can. 

The rest of the players move softly about, 
and dodge this way and that to avoid being 
caught. The blind-man must tell who they 
are by the touch, and the one caught and 
rightly named takes his place. 

Another way to play the game, some- 



not more than three words, such as " Who 
are you ? " This is a less boisterous way 
than the first, and may be made just as 



SHADOW BUFF. 
A large sheet is stretched across one end 
of the room, and one of the party sits on a 
low stool between it and the light. He is 
to look right at the sheet, and neither side- 
ways nor behind him. The other players 




times called " The Guessing Blind Man," is 
to have the players sit in a circle ; compel 
the blinded one to turn round three times ; 
then all the players change seats, and when 
all are ready, the blind man advances 
toward one of the party and endeavors to 
tell who it is by feeling of the face and 
clothing, or demanding the repetition of 

13 



then pass between the light and the seated 
person, disguising themselves by action 
or clothing as much as they please, while 
he is to guess by the shadows who they 
are. When he guesses correctly, the per- 
son whom he names must take his plac-e. 
This game can be made very lively and 




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Pb\Y5-AWp GAMES ^^^ LITTLE FoJJ^ 



POINTER'S BUFF. 
A circle is formed, one standing blind- 
folded in the center, with a cane. The 
others walk around and when they stop, he 
points to one and asks a question. He 
guesses who it is by the voice, which may 
be disguised, or he may imitate an animal 
which the person touched must echo. 



BUFF. 
One points a cane at another repeating 
the following lines and making grimaces to 
cause the latter to laugh : 

" Buff said Buff to all his men. 
And I say Buff to you again ; 
Buff he neither laughs nor smiles, 
In spite of all your cunning wiles; 
But keeps his face, with a very good 

grace ; 
And passes his staff to the very next 
place." 
He then gives up the cane which is 
handed thus around the circle, 
must laugh. 



No one 



STILL PALM. 
Like Blind Man's Buff, except when he 
who is blindfolded counts ten and says, 
" Still Palm, no moving," all must stand still. 



BLIND MAN'S BUFF SEATED. 
The company is seated in a circle, and 
after one is blindfolded, the others change 
places. The one who is blindfolded ap- 
proaches without groping, and seats him- 
self in the lap of the first person he comes 
across. "Without touching with the hands 
he must guess in whose lap he is sitting. 

14 



FRENCH BUFF. 
In French buff the hands are tied behind, 
and there is quite as much sport in the 
game, and less risk, than if the eyes are 
bHndfolded. 



BEAN BAGS. 
Form in two lines, with a chair at each 
end of each line. Each has the same num- 
ber of bags. The contest lies in seeing 
who can pass the bags quickest up the line, 
place them in a chair and down agaifi to 
the first chair. 



A CATCH. 

" I went up one pair of stairs." 

" Just like me." 

" There I saw a monkey." 

" Just like me." 

" I one'd it, " 

" I two'd it." 

" I three'd it," 
and so on until the one who began the 
game says, " I seven'd it, " and the' other, 
without thinking, says, " I eight it." 



OPEN THE GATES. 
" This is played the same as " Thread 
the Needle," and ends with a "tug of war." 

" Open the gates as high as the sk}', 
And let King George and his troops pass 

by." 
Then those forming the gates, drop their 
hands and catch one of the troops, the 
rest standing still until the question has 
been answered, and the prisoner taken his 
or her place at the rear of either gate. 




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PL-f^^^^p GAMES p°'^ LITTLE FoLKSJ 



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KING AND QUEEN. 

Spread a large shawl over two chairs, 
and set them the width of a chair apart. 
This is the throne. The king and queen 
sit on the chairs, and one who does not 
know the trick is invited in to be introduced 
to them. This ceremony over, the king 
and queen invite him to sit on the throne 
between them, and as he does so the two 
rise and let him down gently to the floor. 

Another way : A row of chairs is ar- 
ranged so as to leave a vacant space which 
is concealed by shawls and other cover- 
ings. This constitutes the throne. The 
courtiers take their places on either side. 
The queen sits in the center, leaving the 
vacant seat at her rigrht hand. The kinsf 
— who does not know the trick that is 
to be played on him — is brought into the 
room, introduced to the royal people, and 
invited to take a seat beside the queen. As 
soon as he does so, all who are seated on 
or near the throne suddenly rise, and the 
king finds himself on the floor between the 
chairs. 



BOOK-BINDER. 



The players sit in a row with their fists 
together, thumbs flat and uppermost. The 
Book-binder begins at the head of the line, 
rests his book, which should be a thin one, 
on the player's hands, suddenly lifts it and 
then brings it down with a whack. If he 
strikes the hands the player goes to the 
foot of the line. The one who remains at 
the head without being struck in three 
rounds becomes the Book-binder. 

]5 



TWIRL THE PLATTER. 

The players sit around the room, or 
stand close to a table, each player having a 
number. Then one of them takes a wooden 
cover, or a wooden or metal plate, stands 
it on edge, and gives it a twirl, at the same 
time calling the number of one of the com- 
pany, who must catch it before it stops 
spinning, or pay a forfeit. The one whose 
number was called must then spin the plate, 
calling some other number, and so on. 



DROP THE HANDKERCHIEF. 

The players form in a circle, with one 
on the outside, who takes a handkerchief, 
and passing around the circle two or three 
times, drops the handkerchief on the floor, 
behind one of the opposite sex. As soon 
as it is noticed, the person behind whom 
it is must pick it up, and if he can catch 
the one who dropped it, before she can run 
around the circle and get into the pursuer's 
place, the penalty is a kiss. And whether 
the capture is made or not, the person be- 
hind whom it is dropped must go around 
the circle two or three times and drop it 
as before. Nothing must be said by any 
of the players to indicate Avhere the hand- 
kerchief is. Each person must watch for 
himself. 



THROWING THE HANDKERCHIEF. 

The company are seated in a circle with 
one in the center who tries to catch a 
loose handkerchief thrown from one to 
another. 




SIMON SAYS. 

All sit in a row, except one who is called 
Simon. The players rest their doubled-up 
fists on their knees, and the game begins 
"by the leader saying, " Simon says thumbs 
up ! " All the thumbs go up. " Simon says 
thumbs down." All the thumbs are turned 
down. "Simon says wiggle, waggle! " and 
the thumbs wiggle waggle back and forth. 
It is all right to do as " Simon says," but 
if the leader says " Thumbs up ! " or 
"Thumbs down ! " or " Wieele, waeele ! " 
those who move their thumbs will have to 
pay a forfeit. 



FIND THE RING. 
A long string is held by the players, who 
•stand in a circle, with one in the center. 
A ring is slipped on the string, which is 
rapidly passed from one player to another, 
covering it with their hands. The one in 

16 



the center endeavors to seize the hands 
that hold it, and the person in whose hand 
the ring is found must take his turn in the 
circle. Pretending to pass the ring from one 
to another, when it may be in another part of 
the circle, bewilders the person in the cen- 
ter, and makes the game more amusing. 



THUS SAYS THE GRAND MUFTI. 

One stands up in a chair, who is called 
the " Grand Mufti." He makes whatever 
motions he pleases, such as putting his hand 
on his heart, stretching out his arm, smiting 
his forehead, &c. At each motion he says, 
" Thus says the Grand Mufti ! " or, " So 
says the Grand Mufti ! " When he says 
" Thus says the Grand Mufti ! " every one 
must make the same motion as he does ; 
but when he says, " So says the Grand 
Mufti !" every one must keep still. A for- 
feit for a mistake. 



HAWK AND CHICKENS. 

A hen and her brood form themselves in 
a line, and go round the hawk, or buzzard, 
who pretends to be making up a fire. But 
there is more fun in the game, when the 
one inside the ring is an old witch in- 
stead of an old buzzard. The children 
have a better idea then of what they 
are running away from. 

The hen says as she leads her 
brood around : 

" Chickany, chickany, crany crow, 
I went to the well to wash my toe, 
When I came back my chicken was gone. 
What o'clock is it, old witch .?" 

The witch names any nour, and the 
hen and her brood go round again re- 
peating the rhyme, until the witch ans- 
wers Twelve o'clock. 

Then the hen asks : 

" What are you doing, old witch ? " 

" Making a fire to cook a chicken." 

" Where are you going to get it? " 

" Out of your coop." 

" I've got the lock." 

" I've got the key." 

" Well, we'll see who'll have it." 

Then the chase begins. The witch 
tries to get past the hen, and seize the 
last of the line. The mother spreads 
out her arms and does her best to pro- 
tect her brood. Each child caught 
drops out, and as the line grows shorter 
the struggle becomes desperate. 

When all the chickens are caught the 
witch and hen change places, and the 

17 



game begins again with 
" Chickany, chickany, crany crow, 
I went to the well to wash my toe, 
When I came back my chicken was gone. 
What o'clock is it, old witch > " 





PL'f^S^^o GAMES p"-^ LITTLE FoLKS 







SPOONS. 

" One person takes his stand in the 
center of the circle blindfolded, and his 
hands extended before him, in each of 
which he holds a large tablespoon. The 
other players march round him, clapping 
their hands in time to a tune, which may- 
be sung, or played upon the piano, in any 
slow measure suitable for marching. When 
the blind player calls out " spoons," the 
others stop. He then finds his way to any 
player that he can, and must ascertain who 
he is by touching him with the spoons only, 
which he may use as he pleases." 



ROBINS FLY. 



All who take part in the game sit around 
a table, and each person puts his two fore- 
fingers on the table a few inches from the 
edge. The leader says, "Robins fly!" 
and lifts his fingers from the table in imita- 
tion of flying. All the other players must 
do the same, and must also lift their fingers 
every time the leader calls out some creature 
which really flies, but must be careful not 
to lift them when he names something 
which does not fly. His object is to en- 
trap some of the others into lifting their 
fingers at the wrong time, so he lifts his 
fingers every time he calls out. For in- 
stance, he cries out rapidly, "Robins fly! 
Pigeons fly! Sparrows fly ! Bluebirds fly! 
Houses fly!" In the interest of the game 
some are sure to lift their hands at the 
wrong time, and must accordingly pay for- 
feits. 

18 



BLOODY TOM. 

When this game is played indoors the 
little folks squat down in a circle and pre- 
tend to be asleep. The shepherd stands 
inside the ring, the wolf prowls outside. 

Shepherd. — -"Who comes round my house 
at this time of night ? " 

Wolf. — " None but Bloody Tom." 
Shepherd. — "What do you want?" 
Wolf. — " A good fat sheep." 
Shepherd. — " Where'll you get it?" 
Wolf. — " Out of your flock." 
Shepherd. — " I'd like to catch you at it." 
The wolf then seizes one of the lambs 
who tries its best to get away. The rest 
jump up and run behind the shepherd. 
The game is kept up until the wolf has 
captured all the sheep. It adds greatly to 
the fun and prolongs the game, if Bloody 
Tom goes through the process of killing 
and dressing the animal ; making believe 
cut off its arms and legs, and finally march- 
ing off^ with the lamb on his back. 



HARE AND HOUNDS. 

One boy or girl is chosen as the Hare ; 
the rest are the Hounds. The Hare starts 
off with a quantity of paper cut into small 
pieces, and these are dropped, bit by bit, 
along the track. When at some distance 
from the others the Hare cries "Whoop!" 
and the hounds begin their pursuit, follow- 
ing the paper trail. 

When there are no more bits of paper 
to be found, the hounds begin to hunt 
around for the Hare who has slipped into 
some out-of-the-way hiding-place. 



Pb\Y5 V.ND GAMES ^^^ LITTLE FoLRS 



HUNT THE SLIPPER. 

The players sit down on the ground in a 
circle, and get an old slipper or shoe. One 
of the players kneels in the middle of the 
circle. Then the slipper is passed from 
one to the other, and the one in the mid- 
dle has to find it. Every time the players 
get a chance to hit him with the shoe they 
do so 



HUNT THE WHISTLE. 

One of the party must be ignorant of 
this game, or the fun of it is lost. The 
players sit round as In Hunt the Slipper. 
The one who does not know the eame is 
put in the center to hunt the whistle. 

Meantime the others have managed to 
fasten it to her dress and bloAv it. The 
players keep their hands in motion all the 
time as if they were passing the whistle, 
and sometimes one of the group will whistle 
to make the seeker think he has it. But 
it is always blown, of course, behind her- 
self; and the fun is to see her whirling 
round in search of it. 

This trick should not be long continued, 
or it would be unfair. It is, of course, only 
a jest ; and jests require great considera- 
tion, kindness and courtesy in the acting, 
or they are very objectionable. 



HUNT THE SQUIRREL. 

A circle is formed. One runs around on 
the outside, tags one on the back and con- 
tinues running. The one touched turns 
and runs the other way. When the two 

19' 



meet they must stop and bow three times, 
and continuing running, each in his own 
direction, see who can first reach the start- 
ing point. 



GYPSY. 
One is chosen for the gypsy, one for the 
mother, and one for daughter Sue. The 
mother says : 

" I charge my daughters every one 
To keep good house while I am gone. 
You and you (pointing), but especially 

you, 
(Or sometimes especially Sue), 
Or else I'll beat you black and blue." 

During the mother's absence, the gypsy 
comes and entices a child away and hides 
her. This is repeated till all are hidden, 
when the mother tries to find them. 



BEAST, BIRD, OR FISH. 

The players sit in a row. One of their 
number throws a knotted handkerchief at 
another, who must mention the name of 
some animal of the kind required before 
the thrower counts ten. 

For instance : Mary throws the ball at 
Jane, and says "Beast!" and then begins 
counting rapidly, " One, two, three, four, 
five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten." If Jane 
has not named any beast in that time she 
is out of the game. If she mentions a fish 
when a bird or beast is called for, or a 
beast or bird when fish is required, she 
must pay a forfeit. Sometimes, however, 
the game is played without forfeits, and is 
sure to create considerable mirth. 




PL/y5^'^p GAMES ^"-^ LITTLE FoLKS 



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RUTH & JACOB. 

A circle is formed within which stand 
four persons — two Ruths and two Jacobs. 
One Ruth and one Jacob are bhndfolded. 
Each tries to catch his partner, calling out, 



■ " Where are you, Ruth ? " or, " Jacob," to 
which the other must answer, " Here I am." 




THE FISHERMAN. 
Make a tight loop at the end of a 
piece of cord about a yard long ; pass 
the other end through this making a slip 
loop. Attach the end to a cane. In the 
center of a table the fisherman arranges 
the loop around a circle about five in- 
ches in diameter. When he says, " Yottr 
fish," each must put a finger into the 
circle and keep it there; and when ''My 
fish," the finger must be withdrawn. 
The words repeated rapidly, the play- 
ers become confused, and suddenly the 
fisherman jerks the cord and tries to 
catch one or more of the fingers. 



JACKY LINGO. 

Two are chosen for leaders, one stand- 
ing within a ring of the children, the 
other outside. The one within begins 
the following dialogue : 

" Who is going round my sheep- 
fold?" 

" Only poor old Jacky Lingo." 

" Don't steal any of my black sheep." 

" No, no more I will, only one." 

" Up, says Jacky Lingo." 

He strikes one, and that one leaves 
the rine and takes hold of him behind. 
This is repeated until he has the whole. 
A chase ensues. The one in the center 
tries to get them back, dragging them 
off one by one. and placing them in a 
circle until he has them all. 



|[Pb\Y5^^I^> GAMES ^^^ LITTLE FoLRS 



THE HUNTSMAN, 

One player becomes the huntsman, and 
holds the position throughout the game. 
The other players sit in a circle, and the 
huntsman gives a name to each, one be- 
coming his coat, others his hat, shot-belt, 
powder-flask, dog, gun, etc. The hunts- 
man then walks around the outside of the 
circle, and calls, for instance, for his £^un. 
The player representing the gun at once 
gets up, takes hold of the huntsman's coat- 
tail and walks around after him. The hunts- 
man calls for other accoutrements, till all 
the players are going around, each having 
hold of the player in front of him. When 
all are going at a lively pace, the hunts- 
man suddenly shouts "Bang!" when all, 
including the huntsman, must let go and 
rush for seats. One player will be left and 
must pay a forfeit for his failure to get a 



place, or he may be counted out of the 
game and the number of chairs be reduced 
one. The huntsman then calls tor his 
equipments again, and so on. 



EUROPE, ASIA, AFRICA. 
This is a game which will require quick 
thought and provoke many forfeits. One 
player takes a handkerchief, and unex- 
pectedly throwing it at another, calls out, 
"Europe," "Asia," or "Africa," whichever 
he chooses, then counting ten as rapidly as 
possible. The person at whom the hand- 
kerchief is thrown must name some person 
or thing in, or from, the country called, be- 
fore ten is counted, or must pay a forfeit. 
The players will often find it difficult to get 
their answers out in time, especially if the 
person with the handkerchief looks at one 
and throws at another. 






■M 




PL/yS^'^p GAMES p"-^ LITTLE FoLKS 



J @»^@ar^e.>r^®>L®<s>ta(sAS(s>8^®>t®(§A§)(SVS^(!>>^(gA9(S^^ 




CHANGE SEATS. 
As many seats as players save one. He 
who has no seat stands in the center 
repeating the words " change seats," — 
" change seats." All are on the alert to 
observe when he adds, "The King's come," 
when all change seats, and he must try to 
get one. If he should say, "The King 
has not come," the seats must be kept. 



STAGE COACH. 

The players sit in a row, with the ex- 
ception of one who is the leader. The 
leader gives to each of the others the name 
of some part of a stage-coach. One is 
the whip, one the right hind wheel, one 
the fore-wheel, one the driver, and so on. 
Then the leader begins to tell a story, and 
as he mentions any part of the stage-coach, 
the one bearing that name gets up, turns 
around, and re-seats himself. When the 
leader says, ''stage-coach" all the players 
get up and turn around, and the one who 
does not succeed in changing his seat has 
to pay a forfeit. At any point in his story 
that he chooses, when the stage-coach is 
npset, the leader watches his chance to 
secure a seat, and the one without a chair 
takes his place as story-teller. 



GOING TO JERUSALEM. 
A row of chairs is placed in the center 
of the room, every other one facing the 
same way. There must be one chair less 
than the number of players. Some one 
plays on the piano while the compan)' 



forming in line march around without 
touching chairs. When the music stops, 
all rush for a seat. A chair must be taken 
away each time. 

This is also played placing the chairs all 
one w^ay or back to back, and two or more 
taken away each time. Also without music, 
a person blindfolded calling out, " chairs," 
when he thinks it is time to be seated. 



BLIND POSTMAN. 

In this game the first thing to be done 
is to appoint a postmaster-general and a 
postman. The table must then be pushed 
to one side, so that when the company 
have arranged themselves round the room 
there may be plenty of room to move 
about. The postmaster-general, with paper 
and pencil in hand, then goes round the 
room, and writes down each person's name, 
linking with it the name of the town that 
the owner of the name chooses to repre- 
sent. As soon as the towns are chosen, 
and all are in readiness, the postman is 
blindfolded and placed in the middle of the 
room. The postmaster then announces 
that a letter has been sent from one town 
to another, perhaps from London to Edin- 
burgh. If so, the: representatives of these 
two cities must stand up, and, as silently 
as possible, change seats. While the tran- 
sition is being made, the postman is at 
liberty to secure one of the seats for him- 
self. If he can do so, then the formei 
occupant of the chair must submit to be 
blindfolded, and take upon himself the office 
of postman. 




PL^3^^'^ 0AME5 P"-^ LITTLE FoLKS 



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THE EiNCHANTED PRINCESS. 

A newspaper is held over the head of 
one of the company, by the others who 
thus represent the tower in which the prin- 
cess Hves. The enemy comes up and asks, 
" Where is Fair Margaret ? " " She is shut 
up in her tower." The enemy carries off one 
of the pillars ; that is, one of the children 
holding up the canopy. This is repeated 
until only one is left, who drops the paper, 
and runs, pursued by the princess. The 
one who is caught becomes the princess. 



THE SHEPHERDESS AND THE 
WOLF. 

The children stand in a long line, one 
Tiehind the other, holding each other's 
dresses. The one at the head of the line 
represents the Shepherdess, her little fol- 
lowers the Lambs. One player stands 
apart from them, and is called the Wolf. 
She prowls stealthily round the flock, and 
the shepherdess calls out, " Who goes 
round my house this dark night? " 

The other answers, " I am a wolf." 

The shepherdess says, " I beg of you not 
to hurt my lambs." 

The wolf then says, " I only wish for 
one, and I mean to have this little lamb." 

And he jumps at the last player in the 
line. The shepherdess springs round to 
save her, followed, of course, by the lambs. 
The wolf pretends to jump on one side, 
but really tries to catch a lamb. If the 
lamb can slip from his hold, she must run 
and put herself before the shepherdess, 
when she becomes shepherdess in her turn. 



The wolf must then pay a forfeit and lose 
his place, giving it up to the last lamb in 
the line, and standing himself at the end of 
the file. 



HUNT THE FOX. 
Partners are chosen and stand in two 
lines, partners opposite. The Fox at the 
head starts and runs down the line and 
back, pursued by his partner, the hunter. 
He can pass through the line, in and out, 
but the hunter must follow him. When 
caught the couple take their place at the 
foot of the line. 



YES AND NO. 

A player thinks of some person or thing, 
and the others ask him questions about it, 
to all of which he answers " Yes " or " No." 
The inquirers must guess from his answers 
what he is thinking of Shrewd questions 
will soon lead to the discovery. This is a 
very good game, and well adapted to follow 
those in which there is much physical ex- 



ercise. 



HUL GUL. 

Each player has a lap full of beans, hold- 
ing a certain number, in his hands. One 
begins, saying : 

"Hulgul. Hands full. Parcel how many? ' 
Each guesses how many. If a player 
guesses more than are in the hands, he 
must give the difference to the questioner. 
If less, the questioner must give him the 
difference. 




SOAP BUBBLES. 

The best way to prepare water for soap 
bubbles is to have the bowl full of foaming 
soap-suds, very thick, and use a short pipe 
or a good sized straw split at one end. A 
little glycerine in the water makes the bub- 
bles better. 



ODD OR EVEN. 

A small number of beans or other count- 
ers are held in the hand, and the question 
is " Odd or Even ? " If the guess is even 
and the true number is odd, it is said " Give 
me one to make it odd." And if the ques- 
tion is odd and the true number even, it is 
said, " Give me one to make it even." The 
game is kept up until all the counters 
belonof to one or the other of the two 
players. 



HE CAN DO LITTLE WHO CANT 
DO THIS. 
This simple game has been a puzzler to 
little folks many and many a time. With 
a stick in the left hand the player thumps 
on the floor, at the same time saying, " He 
can do little who can't do this." Then, 
passing the stick into the right hand, he 
gives it to the next person, who, if unac- 
quainted with the trick, will no doubt thump 
with the right hand. Of course, it is most 
natural to use the right hand for every- 
thing, consequently few people suspect. that 
the secret of the game lies in simply taking 
the stick with your right hand when it is 
passed to you, but knocking with your 
left. Sometimes other tricks are intro- 
duced, such as clearing the throat or yawn- 
ing, just before saying, " He can do little 
who can't do this." 




I Pb\Y5 ^>^^ GANE3 f-o^ITTLE FoLR3 



PEASE PORRIDGE HOT. 

Pease porridge hot, 

Pease porridge cold, 
Pease porridge in the pot 

Nine days old. 
Some like it hot, 

Some like it cold. 
Some like it in the pot 

Nine days old. 

This simple game is played in this way. 
Two players sit facing each other, and at 



hands strike together. Repeat the same 
motions for remainder of verse. This can 
be done very rapidly, and makes lots of fun. 



HANDS. 
In this game the company generally 
divides in two parts, half being players, 
while the rest do the work of guessing. A 
thimble is then produced by one of the 
party, or something equally small that may 




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the word pease, which they say together, 
they strike the palms cf their hands on 
their laps. At the word porridge, they 
strike their own hands together ; at hot, 
each other's right hand ; pease, in the lap ; 
porridge, own hands ; cold, leit hands ; pease, 
in the lap ; porridge, own hands together ; 
in the, right hands ; pot, own hands ; nine, 
left hands ; days, own hands ; old, four 

25 



easily be held in the hand. Seated by 
the side of the table, the players begin 
passing on the article from hand to hand. 
When the working has been done suffi- 
ciently the closed hands are all placed on 
the table for those on the opposite side to 
euess in turn whose hand holds the thim- 
ble. As soon as the right guess is made 
the opposite side take their turn. 



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PLA/5^ND GAMES ""-^ LITTLE FoLKSJ 



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BACHELOR'S KITCHEN. 

The players sit in a row, with the excep- 
tion of one who goes to each of the others 
and asks what he will give to the bachelor's 
kitchen. Each answers what he pleases, 
but no two must mention the same article. 
Then the questioner goes back to the first 
child and asks all sorts of questions, which 
must be answered by the name of the article 
he has given, and by no other word. We 
will suppose that one of the children gave 
a box of matches to the Bachelor's Kitchen. 
The questioner asks, " What did j^ou have 
for breakfast.''" "A box of matches." 
" What do you wear on your head .'' " " A 
box of matches." " What kind of a house 
do you live in ? " "A box of matches." The 
object is to make the answerer laugh, and 
he is asked a number of questions until he 
does laugh or is given up as a hard subject. 
Tliose who laugh, or add another word to 
their answer, must pay a forfeit. 



BUZ. 
The players sit in a circle, and count, 
beginning at one and going on to a hundred. 
But the number seveyi must not be used. 
Buz being substituted for it. For instance, 
the players saj^ alternately, " one," " two," 
" three," " four," " five," " six," the seventh 
exclaims " Buz;" the others go on "eight," 
"nine," "ten," "eleven," "twelve," "thir- 
teen," "Buz" (because twice scz'ni makes 
fourteen), " fifteen," " sixteen," " Buz," for 
seventeen, "eighteen," "nineteen," "twen- 
ty," " Buz," because three times seven are 
twenty-one. Thus, Buz is said whenever a 

26 



seven is named, or a number out of the 
line of seveyi times in the multiplication 
table, as fourteen, twenty-one, twenty-eight, 
thirty-five, forty-two, forty-nine, fifty-six, 
sixty-three, seventy, seventy-seven, eighty- 
four. When the players reach seventy- 
one they must say " Buz one," " Buz 
two," &c. 

Rules of the game : 

\st Rule. — Buz is to be said for every 
seven, or number in "seven times." 

2nd Rule. — Any one breaking ist Rule 
pays a forfeit and is out of the game — /. c., 
sits silent. 

2,rd Ride. — Directly a "seven," or seven 
times number has been named, the count- 
inof must beafin agfain ; the one sittino- on 
the left hand of the expelled member be- 
oflnnino; asfain with " one. " 

\tJi Rtde. — If any player forgets her 
number while the counting is going on, 
or miscounts after a Buz, she pays a forfeit, 
but is not out of the game. 

This game must be played quickly, and 
it will be found that B^is will so often be 
forgotten in its right place that the circle, 
or number of players, will continually 
diminish, till it ends sometimes only in a 
pair. And, as after every blunder the count 
beeins asfain at one, it is a matter of some 
difficulty to reach a hundred. 



COLORS. 

Each one chooses a color. The leader 
throws a handkerchief at one of the players 
and calls out the name of a flower. Those 
who make mistakes in color must pay a 
forfeit. 




PL.7°y5^^p GAMES ^""^ LITTLE FoLKS 



gyS @Xa\S^f®<S^^S>S»S(S;l^3@>l^(§>iS><§i^®fi3(^AS)®>iS>@^^«)<SAS>^^ 




THE SPANISH MERCHANT. 
After seating themselves in order round 
the room the first player begins by saying 
to his neighbors, " I'm a Spanish merchant." 
The neighbor then replies, " What do you 
sell?" This question the first player ^an- 
swers by naming any article, which at the 
same time he must touch. For instance, 
should he say he sells gold, he must unob- 
servedly touch some gold article — a piece 
of money, a gold ring, a breast-pin, or 
anything else of gold. Silk, cloth, linen, 
carpets, boots, glass, etc., may be articles 
of merchandise ; the only thing to be re- 
membered is that whatever is chosen must 
be touched. 

The Game of the Pork Butcher, 
is very much like that of the Spanish 
Merchant, the only difference being that 
instead of the players representing them- 
selves as Spanish merchants, they carry on 
for the time the business of pork-butchers. 
The first player begins the game by saying, 
" I have just killed a pig, and shall be glad 
to sell portions of it to any of you. What 
part will you take ? " he continues, adress- 
ing his right-hand neighbor. The trick of 
the game is that whatever part the pur- 
chaser shall choose, the corresponding part 
on his own person must, as he names it, 
be touched by him. 



THE SEA AND HER CHILDREN. 

The players seat themselves in a circle, 
leaving out one of their number, who 
represents the " Sea." Each player hav- 
ing taken the name of some fish, the " Sea" 



walks slowly round outside the ring calling 
her companions, one after another, by the 
titles they have chosen. Each one, on 
hearing his or her name pronounced, rises 
and follows the " Sea." When all have 
left their seats, the "Sea" begins to run 
about exclaiming, "The sea is troubled! 
The sea is troubled ! " and suddenly seats 
herself, an example immediately followed 
by her companions. The one who fails to 
secure a chair becomes the " Sea," and 
continues the game as before. 



THE SCHOOLMASTER. 

The one of the party who volunteers to 
be master of the ceremony places himself 
in front of his class, who are all seated in a 
row. If agreeable, he can examine his, 
subjects in all the different branches of edu- 
cation in succession, or he may go from one 
to the other indiscriminately. Supposing, 
however, he decides to begin with natural 
history, he will proceed as follows : — Point- 
ing to the pupil at the top of the class, he 
asks the name of a bird beginning with C. 
Should the pupil not name a bird beginning 
with this letter by the time the master has 
counted ten, it is passed on immediately to 
the next, who, if successful, and calls out 
" Cuckoo" or "Crow," &c., in time, goes 
above the one who has failed. 

Authors, singers, actors, or anything 
else may be chosen, if the schoolmaster 
should think proper, as subjects for examin- 
ation ; but, whatever may be selected, the 
questions must follow each other with very 
great rapidity, or the charm of the game 
will be wanting. 



COPENHAGEN 

Always pleases the girls and boys. A 
long piece of rope is passed around the 
room, each of the company taking hold 
on the outside, except one, who is called 
" the Dane," and remains in the center. 
He endeavors to slap the hands of those 
who have hold of the rope, and if he suc- 
ceeds, the person whose hands are slapped 
takes the place of the " Dane." 



WHIRLWIND. 
The company are seated in a circle with 
one vacant chair. One stands in the center. 
Then all begin moving, each into the chair 
next to him. The one in the center must 
try to get a seat. 



THE WOLF AND THE DOE. 

A long line is formed, and it is the wolf's 
part to catch the fawn who is at the end of 
the line. The doe at the head extends her 
arms to defend those behind, but if the wolf 
succeeds in passing, then the fawn may run 
and place herself in front of the doe. That 
fawn then stands out. When one is caught 
he becomes the wolf. 



I APPRENTICED MY SON. 

A trade is chosen, and a handkerchief 
thrown from one to another, the throwei 

saying, " I apprenticed my son to a ." 

The one to whom it is thrown must name 
something in connection with the trade, 
before ten is counted, or those throwing- 
the ball may each name a different trade. 

For example : 

" I apprenticed my son to a grocer, and 
the first thing he sold was S." 

" Sugar." " No." " Salt." " No." 
"Sand." "No." "Starch." "Yes." 







|Pb\Y5^^^p GAMES f'^^ LITTLE FoLRS 



THE FARMER. 

This is a very pretty game, and one that 
is familiar to every kindergarten. At the 
words, " So does the farmer sow his bar- 
ley and his wheat," the little players 
pretend to scatter seed. 

At " So does the farmer reap his barley 
and his wheat," the children make the 
rmotion of reaping. 



At " Thresh his barley and wheat," they 
wave their arms for flails. 

At " Sifting the wheat," they pretend to 
shake a sieve. 

At " How he rests," the little players 
throw themselves on the grass, or carpet, 
if in a room. 

At " Would you know how he plays?" 
they all skip and jump about. 




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Look, 'tis so., does the far - mer. Look, 'tis so., does the far - mer Sow his bar - ley and wheat. 
29 . 




PL/yS^^p GAMES ^"-^ LITTLE FoLKS 



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2. 

Would you know how does the farmer, would 

you know how does the farmer, 
Would you know how does the farmer reap his 

barley and wheat ? 
Look 'tis so does the farmer, look 'tis so does 

the farmer. 
Look 'tis so does the farmer reap his barley 
and wheat. 

3- 
Would you know how does the farmer, would 

you know how does the farmer. 
Would you know how does the farmer thresh 

his barley and wheat ? 
Look 'tis so does the farmer, look 'tis so does 

the farmer. 
Look 'tis so does the farmer thresh his barley 
and wheat. 

4- 
Would you know how does the farmer, would 

you know how does the farmer. 
Would you know how does the farmer sift his 

barley and wheat ? 
Look 'tis so does the farmer, look 'tis so does 

the farmer. 
Look 'tis so does the farmer sift his barley and 
wheat. 

5- 
Would you know how rests the farmer, would 

you know how rests the farmer. 
Would you know how rests the farmer when 

his labor is done } 
Look 'tis so rests the farmer, look 'tis so rests 

the farmer. 
Look 'tis so rests the farmer when his labor is 
done. 

6. 
Would you know how plays the farmer, would 

you know how plays the farmer, 
Would you know how plays the farmer when 

his labor is done .'' 
Look 'tis so plays the farmer, look 'tis so plays 

the farmer. 
Look 'tis so plays the farmer when his labor is 



done. 



30 



FOX AND GEESE. 



In this game the company stand two 
and two in a circle, excepting in one place 
where they stand three deep thus : 






• • • 



• • 






One stands outside of the circle, and is 
on no account allowed to go within it. The 
object is to touch the i/iird one wherever 
he finds her; but when he attempts this, 
she darts into the circle, and takes her 
place before some of the others. Then 
the third one who stands behind her becomes 
the object ; but she likewise slips into the 
circle, and takes her place in front of 
another. The pursuer is thus led from 
point to point in the circle, for he must 
always aim at one who forms the outside 
of a row of three. Any one caught changes, 
places with the pursuer. 



THE BUTTERFLY AND THE 
FLOWERS. 
One is chosen as a butterfly. All the 
others take the names of flowers. The 
Butterfly calls on each one to tell some 
story about the flower whose name he 
bears, and if his memory fails him he must 
pay a forfeit. 




PL-;'y5^'^t> GAMES p"-^ LITTLJE FoLKS 



&CS (S>(^<S^r®®A^^itS(SAS(§iS^@AS)(§i'^(S^^(S>i3®}A3@^X3®AS<S-A3(^^ 




WARNING. 

A home is first marked out in one cor- 
ner of the playground ; then one of the 
players is chosen "Warner," and takes his 
station at the home. After first calling 
" Warning! " three times he sallies forth, 
with his hands clasped in front of him, 
and tries to touch one of the other players 
without unclasping his' hands. If before 
doing so he should unclasp them, or be 
made to do so by the others (and they will 
strive to bring that to pass by pulling at 
his arms), he must run home as speedily 
as possible. If he is caught before reach- 
ing there, the penalty is to carry his cap- 
tor home with him. Once home, however, 
he is safe. 

But if he succeeds in touching any one 
without unclasping his hands, they both 
run home as fast as they can, and then 
start out afresh, hand in hand, after duly 
caUing "Warning!" and try to make 
another capture without breaking hold. 
After each capture they hurry home and 
sally forth afresh after adding the new 
comer to the ranks ; thus the line of War- 
ners is constantly increasing, and the diffi- 
culty of escaping it increasing in the same 
proportion. Its very length, however, be- 
comes a source of weakness, making it 
not only unwieldy, but more likely to be 
broken in the middle ; for ' a player hard 
pressed will often make his escape by a 
frantic burst through the weakest part of 
the line. As, of course, only the players 
at either end have a hand at liberty, only 
they can touch, and this gives a player a 
great advantage in breaking through. 

31 



A sfreat deal of the success of the warn- 
ing party depends upon the arrangement 
of their men. Where it can be avoided, 
two weak players should never be allowed 
to hold hands together ; a strong player 
should Blways be placed between them. 

It is essential that the game should be 
played within reasonably narrow limits, 
for the only chance of the warning party 
is to pen the fugitives up : to run them 
down in an open field is simply out of the 
question. 

The Warners are allowed to resist their 
adversaries only passively ; no kicking or 
similar mode of offense is permissible. 
The first warner is generally allowed to 
retire after catching two or three, and the 
last man untouched becomes warner for a 
fresh game. 



PRISONER'S BASE. 

This was once considered a game for 
boys only ; but with the more rational 
opinions now prevailing on the subject of 
exercise for girls, they can participate with 
as much propriety as their brothers. 

Two bases or homes must be marked 
out opposite each other at some distance, 
and ne'ar each a smaller base, called a 
prison, should also be laid out. 

Two captains are chosen, and they make 
up their respectives sides by selecting 
alternately a player until all have been 
chosen. They then toss up for bases and 
take their posts. 

The game begins by one side sending 
out a player toward the base of the op- 
posite side. He approaches as nearly 




b W 




as be dares, until one of the other side 
starts out in pursuit of him, when he 
makes for home. If his pursuer touches 
"him before he reaches there, he has to go 
to the prison of the side that captures him, 
which is the one nearest their base. 

But the pursuing player is himself sub- 
ject to capture if one of the opposite side 
who has left his base later touches him. 
The game thus waxes warm, each player 
pursuing and in turn being pursued. 

A player may only touch that opponent 
who has left home before himself, and can 
only be touched by one who has left after 
him. When a player has made a capture 
Jie cannot be touched until he has returned 
home and made a fresh sally. 

A player in prison may be delivered by 
one of his own side who can run the 
gauntlet of the enemy and reach him un- 



touched. A prisoner is required to keep 
only a part of his body within the prison, 
and may reach out as far as he can in the 
direction of his home provided he keeps 
even one foot within the bounds. When 
there is more than one prisoner all that 
is required is that the prison shall be 
touched by one of them, while the rest 
keep up their connection by joining hands. 
Only one prisoner, however, can be delivered 
at a time. The game continues until all 
the players on one side or the other have 
been captured and put in prison. 



SHADOW PICTURES. 
In order to make these pictures show 
well on the wall, there must be but one 
lamp in the room, and that must sta:nd 
back of the performer. 




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